UNN party tragedy: How I regained consciousness, found friends lying lifeless - Survivor

A survivor of the signing-out ceremony where four University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State students died and six others were hospitalised has recounted his experience.

Speaking to Vanguard, the 24-year-old said it was his first time consuming alcohol, expressing regret over the experience and vowing never to drink again.

Recounting how he attended the gathering after being invited by a friend identified as David, who organised the party to celebrate the completion of his examinations, the survivor said the party started at about 11.30pm at an apartment in the Hilltop area of Nsukka, with about 10 people in attendance. He stated that he however lost consciousness after he drank alcohol.

“My friend organised the party and invited me. He said I should come. Then, he brought Magic Moments and Best. We bought them and took them home. The party began around 11.30pm. We started playing games, truth or dare. It is just like a fun game where if you are told to say the truth, you say the truth about something, and if they dare you to do something, you do it'' he said

The survivor said the game was purely for entertainment and that participants were not paid to take part.

Recounting how he collapsed, he said one of the male attendees vomited during the gathering, prompting him to help the person clean up.

“At a point, one of the boys vomited, and I took him to the bathroom and told him to clean himself up. I brought out a rag to clean the curtain he vomited on. When I finished, I went to drop the bucket of water. I lost consciousness there” he said

He explained that the gathering took place in the parlour of a one-bedroom apartment, where the windows were shut and a fan was being used.

According to him, although the apartment had an air conditioner, it was not switched on, while a generator was running outside the corridor, not far from where they were.

On the quantity of alcohol consumed, he said the drinks were shared in small amounts because the group had only two bottles.

“It was a party cup. It was not up to a quarter of the party cup that we used. We took small quantities because we had only two bottles. If we were to serve it full, it would not have gone round,” he said.

Speaking on his health condition, the survivor said he was recovering but remained unable to use his legs properly.

“Currently, I am getting better. It is just that my legs are still stiff. I cannot still use my legs,” he said.

Reflecting on the incident, he said he was still struggling to come to terms with what happened, particularly because he had never consumed alcohol before.

“I feel so numb because I never even thought of what would happen at first, because this is just the first time I am taking alcohol and it has got me to this extent. So I am not really proud of it. But I know that this will be the last of it,” he said.

The survivor also said he could not establish whether the drinks had been contaminated, adding that he has been repeatedly asked him if someone might have poisoned them.

He said police officers also questioned him about whether he had any disagreement with anyone or suspected anybody of attempting to harm him.

However, he said he told the officers that he did not suspect anyone.